Babies are not always the best sleepers {in my experience}. They keep us up at night when they want to eat and make weird sounds. Why do we use the expression “I slept like a baby” for a good night’s sleep when in reality babies and their sleep can be a complicated thing?

I read a hilarious article about this subject last year and laughed out loud.

I didn’t know if we would ever have another baby when I read this but I saved it because it was so true. If you read sleep advice for babies {or listen to people in your life} you will be totally confused. Many people have strong {and often very divisive} opinions on this subject. When I had Paige {my first child} I was totally confused. I had read about one method and thought it was the best/only way to feed/sleep train/deal with my baby. When that method wasn’t working for me I felt like a failure. I felt confused and didn’t know who to turn to because most of my friends loved and praised this method. My new-found “mommy guilt” told me there was only one right way to deal with my baby and discouragement set in. Finally my husband Aaron said “Honey you are a good mommy with good instincts…just put down the books and let’s do what we think is best for her.” Boy was he right. I finally felt like myself {and free} when I followed his advice and we just did what worked for her.

So here is my opinion of the best method when it comes to getting your babies to sleep, when to feed them, how often to hold them & all that good stuff:

::do whatever is best for you and your child::

I’m convinced there’s not a single method right for every child…not matter what anyone has told me. Each baby has their own needs, wants, complications and temperament. Likewise each parent has their own needs. Our job as parents is to juggle that child’s needs with the stage of life we are in as a family. I have noticed that some people find a method with their first baby that is just not possible with number 3 or 4 {for a variety of reasons} and sometimes the opposite is true. Some people & families are routine, some are not. Some babies are routine, some are not. Some babies have tummy issues or are sensitive to sound and some are not. Some babies need a lot of attention, some do not. Every parent just needs to decide what is right for their child and go with it. I think it is a huge challenge to figure out what each of my children need individually and balance that with the needs of the rest of the people in our family {including myself}. It’s a juggling act most of the time. This affects sleep training and feeding and schedules when a baby is in the picture. So be patient and just get to know your child. Ask advice, read the books and/or go with your gut and just do it. Block out all the voices, books and advice that will tell you the opposite advice, once you figure out what works for you. And be kind and gracious when you give advice…allowing other mommies to feel the same freedom to decide what their child needs on their own. We all need to support each other in this…not divide each other! Can you tell I’m passionate about this subject?

Here is the bottom line:

::God gave you this little baby because He knew you could handle it, you are the best parent for this child & you can do this::

Go take care of your baby the best you know how.

Pray. Ask your spouse and the Lord for help when you feel discouraged. Trust your gut.

And go soak up every minute with your babe because they will be almost 7 {like my Paigey} before you know it!

P.S. As much as I love my sweet Blakey boy I am tired! I have had a few meltdowns in my “sleep-deprived” state over the past few weeks. He is number 3 and you would think I have this baby thing dialed-in but I still have moments when I think “Do I know what I’m doing here with this baby?” So I keep going back to Aaron’s advice with Paige…and I tell myself that I can do this…and we will get a rhythm in time…just relax and enjoy him! I pray and believe that God gave me this boy and he will help me! And I enjoy Blake so much more when I do this! I hope you can do this too!

I know…I know. All I can talk about and blog about is BLAKE…but he is just so perfect that I cannot help myself. When he was just a week old I had the pleasure of hiring my friend Jessica for a photo shoot of the kids. She is a local photographer who takes amazing care and time getting just the right shot. She truly captured the sweetness of our sweet boy and the two big kids. Jess & I have known each other since we were good ol’ high school kids and now we are both part of MOPS…raising our own babies! Check out her blog and these stunning photos at J.Swenson Photography! You will be amazed at how she has captured so many beautiful little faces! I hope it inspires and delights you! Enjoy!

For the most part our life is all about our little BLAKE {otherwise known as Blakey} right now! He was the star of this months ten on ten! We have had a ton of lazy summer days just holding the baby and enjoying the slow pace. We are soaking up every minute of our new life as a family of 5. I am loving this sweet boys cuddles and even though I have been pretty tired I will take it {I’ve only had a few meltdowns and overwhelmed moments so far}! Sometimes it’s hard to just be lazy, holding the baby all day {guilt-free} and stay in…but the school year and routine life are coming soon and we know Blake will be in kindergarten before we know it! I love that ten on ten allows me to capture the beauty all around us and the tiny moments of our ever day life. Enjoy and Happy Summer!

We have been in baby heaven around here for the past few weeks! My life feels full and beautiful and I just keep thinking “It doesn’t get any better than this?” We went into the hospital with a few names still on the table, excited hearts and we came home with a sweet baby boy! Blake’s birth was miraculous in many ways. I was so ready to meet him. I was so over being pregnant and miserable. When the doctor wanted to induce on Wednesday {just a few days before my due date} I was thrilled. The induction began in the afternoon and he arrived just after 1 AM. Aaron got to aid in pulling little Blake into the world and aunt Fifi got some great shots of the delivery {because he was face up she laughs about seeing his little eyes and big ol’ lips first as she was taking pictures}. His delivery was wild. At one point they were considering a c-section because his heart rate was showing distress. I had to stay very calm and just trust that the Lord would take care of him. There were a few points during the process where the nurses and doctors looked very nervous…but God gave me a peace that everything would be okay. I went from 7 CM dilated to active pushing in about 10 or 20 minutes. I was begging the nurses to let me push {in my head I was wondering why it hurt so badly and every time I pushed my epidural button it did not seem to work}. When they finally let me push it took less than a dozen pushes {I felt stronger and more efficient with each push}. He came out facing up…this was incredible painful. Later that night we discovered that the reason I was not getting relief from my epidural is that it had accidentally been shut off for a few hours. We think that when they were prepping me for the potential c-section someone capped off the epidural line…and forgot to reconnect it. Bummer for me…I felt most of the pain of the labor…but I’m glad I had that experience because I never would have had to guts to try to do it naturally on my own. The other crazy part is that when he finally came all the way out they discovered a knot in his umbilical cord that could have caused him major distress and can even lead to infant fatalities (that is why his heart rate was dipping throughout the night). We had great nurses and midwives and I got a single recovery room (hallelujah)! The kids were adorable meeting their brother and wore their “big sister”/”big brother” badges very proudly. I’m so thankful for their joy and love of Blake. All in all it was a great experience {despite the very crazy night of events} and our hearts are full of gratitude for a healthy boy!

Aaron captured our experience through these amazing pictures.

He has such a great eye for photography and I truly love all of the way he captured the hours before and after Blake made us a family of 5 {that’s why there are so many posted here}. Enjoy!